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In 2013, a study found that German soldiers who performed the time-honored military tradition of slapping a rifle against one's chest during ceremonial drills began to notice breast growth on the side of the chest that was being impacted. Interestingly, the other side stayed normal, suggesting that physical pressure may be able to stimulate breast growth.The research concluded that the only effective treatment for the soldiers' gynecomastia was breast reduction surgery, but for many men suffering from the embarrassing plight of cream puff-looking nipples or bulging breasts, the idea of being cut open for a largely-cosmetic reason is a hard pill to swallow. It certainly was for me, and it wasn't until very recently that I became comfortable with my nipples being slightly puffy.Prior to my 18th birthday, I had attempted to cure and cope with my gynecomastia in a number of ways. Growing up as an overweight kid, I figured that starting weightlifting and losing the flub I gained from years of slamming back donuts and Goldfish crackers would be enough to kill my nipple problem for good. After developing an athletic build, I found that, low and behold, I still had loose lumps hanging off my now lean chest that made the average person gawk.I also tried to fine tune my diet to eliminate phytoestrogens and BPA—chemical compounds that have been linked to gynecomastia onset and recurrence. I made a conscious effort to cut out soy products, to eliminate my use of low-quality plastics, and to stop using hygiene products with particles in them. On top of this, I increased my intake of saturated fat and other healthy lipids to encourage balanced hormone production. None of these things helped.Read on Motherboard: What the #DadBod Teaches Us About Us
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